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More low impact than high, but a nice shadow nevertheless

The High Impact Eye Shadow I have was a freebie in a Clinque Bonus Time offer (when you buy two full size products during the promotion you get a set of miniatures for free), and therefore only contains one colour - Sugarberry.

I am a massive fan of Clinique on the whole, and this is very useful colour to have in my make-up bag. It is a pale lilac, almost white when it's on my skin despite looking quite purply in the case. It has a subtle sparkle to it as well. I use it as a base colour to cover my lids and right up to the brow line before adding colour on top, or on its own to brighten my eyes if I'm looking tired and need to look a bit more on-the-ball for work. It has had a lot of use and I've not got much left.

It applies easily and without shedding powder all over my face, but it doesn't last all day without creasing. It has to be reapplied.

However, it is rather badly named. It is not at all High Impact. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but the name leads me to expect something different.

The High Impact shadows are no longer on the Clinique website, but you can still pick them up on Ebay for a few pounds.

Despite the fact that I really like this shade, at full price there is no way I could have recommended this. It's really nothing special, but at Ebay prices it will make a nice addition to your collection. I suppose it's one of those things that is nice to own just because of the brand, which is awfully shallow but most of us do it! Plus of course, it is allergy tested, so if you have sensitive skin you know it won't cause you any issues.

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Not for me

I love Clinique make up and have quite a lot of it, and I have the High Impact Eye Shadow as a duo rather than a trio. Now, I am not 100% sure but I think the picture above might be of the older green packaged Clinique products because my High Impact Eye Shadow duo is actually in a silver metallic case. Also, the duo shades are balanced differently - you get the main colour in a slightly bigger block than the secondary colour.

You can expect to pay £18 - £21 in all good larger chemists, independent retaliers, department stores and online for the duo eyeshadow, and from £23 for the trio. The picture above shows a double ended foam applicator however my duo contains two tapered end single foam applicators with the Clinique logo.

Clinique say that their eyeshadows:

- Provide the richest & most intensive colour for your eyes - Have an extra-creamy texture which glides on for ideal coverage - Are a super-fine powder which lasts all day in one application - Have special light-diffusing properties which eliminate visible fine lines - Are Ophthalmologist tested (so are suitable for sensitive eyes).

I think the problem lies here with their own claims. As an eyeshadow I find that Clinique High Impact Eye Shadow works well. They have a high pigmentation and 'sit' on the eyelids and sockets giving a 'pop' of colour, great for definition and impact, just like the name. But I can't see where they are extra creamy - they are just like any other powder block I have used and the extra creamy claim misleads a bit into thinking it is a cream based eye shadow which it is not. The super fine powder bit again is a bit misleading too as it's just a normal powder and it doesn't feel any smoother than, say, a Rimmel eyeshadow.

Now the 'fine lines' bit. It fails so badly at this! Because it sits right on your skin without really blending or sinking in, it 'folds' itself into your creases even if you don't have any real wrinkles, it makes you look like you do! So I don't like using it as it defines the lines around my eyes (where my eyelids fold and under my eye) and makes them look like wrinkles! I shudder to think what it would look like on crow's feet (which l don't have yet but we can't escape ;) )

I can't disagree with the claim it is hypoallergenic as I haven't had any reaction to it and I have sensitive skin, the reason primarily I use Clinique. But I am limited to the more sheer colours or dull colours because any vibrant colours like blue or purple would make me look much older round the eyes. So I do think it's a bit of a fail for me, sorry Clinique! It does look good in the handbag, but Max Factor does too and I find them much better and with a multi faceted colour depth, too, which does look better on creases (even though this isn't really a selling point of theirs).

Overall I can't justify the price here as other duo eyeshadows around the £15 mark work a lot better for me and provide me with more successful results. If you are wanting to try a Clinique High Impact I suggest you go for a single, or maybe go for a make up session with a Clinique representative in a department store to see if the eye shadow suits you or not, so you don't end up wasting money.

I will use the duo that I have for highlighting under my brow arches but I won't use it as a full eyeshadow and I won't be buying it again.

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not something I would wish to spend extra money on

Clinique High Impact Eye Shadow

I received this product as a gift from my sister for Christmas a while ago now. I have noticed that the Clinique website doesn't do the product anymore but I know that it cost roughly £12 around the time she was buying it.

**WHAT IS IT**

The particular one I received is slightly different from the one in the above picture this is because they had changed the packaging slightly. The one I got was a High Impact Eye Shadow Duo and the colour is called Moody Blues (08). This really is just a dark grey and a light grey.

It is an eye shadow is from the Clinique range. The colour is supposed to be high impact when applied to your eyes. So it is supposed to be brighter and more defined than other eye shadows.

**PACKAGING**

I got my eye shadow in a pearly green case that is very sturdy and small enough to fit into your handbag. The Clinique logo is imprinted onto the side. The back of this container gives you details on the product itself.

To open you pull the container apart and the eye shadow will be inside. As I have the duo one there are two different shades of grey. One is a dark grey and the other is a light grey.

There is also a space which a brush that has been provided sits in. The brush is a good quality one that will last you until your eye shadow is finished. The handle of the brush is white and has Clinique imprinted on it.

**PRODUCT**

The eye shadow itself is good quality you can see this straight away when you look at it. It is a pressed powder in small compartments. Both grey colours have a slight shimmer through them to give you a subtle glittery colour to your eyes. I think this is what helps the colour look less bland.

When applying I don't get any fall off so you don't end up with a mess after applying your eye shadow. I do find that the colour isn't very strong so I end up having to apply the colour a few times to make it noticeable on my eyes.

The colours are very soft and blend very well into each other if you are mixing the both colours together.

I feel that I have a natural look once I have applied this eye shadow this may be due to the colours I am using. I don't feel that I get that vow look at the colour on your eyes that the name of the product would suggest.

I would use this eye shadow for everyday use as it stays on very well and won't be rubbed off easily. Saying this it is easy to remove this eye shadow at the end of the day using a facial wipe. It wouldn't be a colour I would use when going on a night out.

**OVERALL**

I think that this is a good quality product that stays on your eyes well throughout the day. It gives you a soft look that doesn't stand out completely but looks natural and elegant looking.

I wouldn't say that this eye shadow would give you high impact eyes instead it will give you an everyday look.

I feel that this eye shadow is definitely overpriced and don't think I would buy it again, as it is nothing special. You can see that it is good quality but it is just not worth the extra money.

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Good

I bought the High Impact Eyeshadow after a consulatation with one of those Clnique ladies. She recommended this eye shadow for me. This was years ago so not only has the packaging changed since I bought it looking at the above picture but looking on the Clinique website would suggest that this produc has now been discontinued. When I bought this it was roughly £12 but I am sure you can find them cheap on the internet.

The packaging of this is rather cool and does look high-end. It is a silver reflective compact, which means you don't need another mirror, which has a pull out tray with the powder and brush in it a little like a desk drawer. Inside there are two sections; one with the powder and the other with the brush. Normally the brushes that come free are rather poor but this wasn't bad considering. It is a cone shaped brush with a very soft covering on top.

In terms of use I thought this was quite good. The lasting power impressed me havnig lasted all through the day and into the evening with only slight wearing and fading which is unusual. It also didn't go into creases on the eye. The colour I got was 09 Rosebeam which looks lovely in the box, a colour somewhere between red and gold. Sadly it did not look as good on the skin for me as I found that it rather washed me out and I felt as though I looked sickly. So perhaps this was just the wrong colour for me though a nice shadow overall.

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High Impact Comes at a High Price

Despite my love of a bargain, I do occasionally get the opportunity to sample some high end cosmetics. My mother is a makeup addict which means I'm lucky enough to receive regular donations of her rejected items, as well as various gift with purchase items she has no need for. Over the years, my mum has given me a few Clinique High Impact Eyeshadow Duos and I usually have at least one knocking about in my makeup bag.

A full size High Impact Eyeshadow Duo will set you back around £13 in the UK which is quite a hefty price tag for two eyeshadows. A cheaper way to sample the delights of this product is if you buy 2 Clinique products during an offer period and receive a gift with purchase. This nearly always includes a miniature High Impact Eyeshadow Duo which is the same product as the full size version, just on a smaller scale.

The full sized version comes in a rather posh looking silver mirrored container which slides out to reveal the eyeshadows and a mini applicator. The gift with purchase versions are simply smaller and tend to be presented in a green plastic container. You'll also receive a mini applicator.

There's a selection of colours available but the great thing about these eyeshadow duos is that the colours are chosen to compliment each other which means you'll struggle to go wrong when applying the eyeshadow. There's usually a light colour which is perfect for highlighting the area under your eyebrow, opening up your eyes and a darker colour for your eyelid. With the two complimentary colours, it's quick and easy to achieve a high end look. Obviously, you can also use the individual shades on their own if you prefer.

The eyeshadows themselves are easy to apply, even with the little applicator included. I prefer to use a brush though and it's easy to build up the colour to achieve a more dramatic look. The eyeshadows also work well with water if you to achieve thicker coverage. Regardless of how you choose to apply the eyeshadows, the coverage is even and the colours when applied are virtually identical to the product in the box.

Whilst the Clinique High Impact Eyeshadow Duos are more expensive than other eyeshadows on the market, the quality is noticeable. The product is easy to use and lasts all day long without flaking or needing to be reapplied. The colours range from the subtle to the more dramatic and there's sure to be a variety of 'duo' to suit your tastes.

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Also published on Ciao.com

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5 out of 5 for performance, less cos create no impact on me

Lately, I can't seem to stop myself from buying eye-shadows. I'm a real addict of the highest order! There are so many different formula's out there that promise us ladies the world and me...I'm hooked on them. I own so many different brands and types it's getting beyond a joke now but alot of the time I'll go out shopping say looking for shoes and I can't find any and get depressed and so buying some make up always cheers me up big time lol. Buying make up and toiletries gives me an adrenaline rush like no other believe me! Even now if someone buys me make up for Christmas or something I'm over the moon and delighted with it and leave the brand new television or mp3 player to the side while I play away with said make up and I guess that's the kid in me! If everything is going wrong in my life I put my make up on and put my best foot forward. Make up reflects my mood and the image I want to put across. I can have as many faces as I desire! If I'm going out for the evening I like dark, smoky eyes made up of highly pigmented loose, dark steel shimmery greys and lashings of mascara and topped off with ruby red lips but for daytime I prefer more subtle shades but still with a hint of vixen! lol I guess here I'm trying to excuse my passion for owning bags of make so I'll shut up lol!

I do love the brand which is Clinique. I came across it a couple of years ago and at first glance it rather bored me to be honest. The counter isn't exciting and trendy, the make up ladies are older than me, the packaging is functional and the products themselves are simply not begging to be bought as they are so understated. This is not particulary in my mind a head turning collection of make up and probably never will be.

To me it's aimed at 30 something's with life set up. Probably career women and minimalist types who own a capsule wardrobe and a cat. The make up doesn't look frightening and it doesn't make a statement when on. To me it's more of an everyday make up brand of reliable make up essentials that you can team up with other stuff you own to create more dramatic types though I think a Clinique buyer normally plays it safe in life and bulk buys this stuff lol. So initially I was put off and never felt tempted, drawn in or connected. Then one day I decided I would try something and just see if it was any better than what I normally bought. A couple of years ago I still owned alot of make up as I do now but not the really good stuff I now own and this was probably at the time one of my most expensive purchases on make up ever. I expected alot for my money.

The Packaging....

The 'High Impact' Eye-shadows I own come in the green plastic recyclable packaging the same as on the review photograph at the top of this page. It's simply a square or oblong in shape (depending on the size you purchase of course) and you can buy them in singles, doubles and trios. I'm not sure if you get them in a four colour combination as I haven't seen those or above but I know you can buy compacts that include a couple of shades of these within them as I have seen them in the past.

You get a sponge applicator within them and if you buy one colour you get a one sided sponge applicator for two and above you get a double ended applicator. Saying that I have seen a double quad with two single sided applicators and things like that in them. I have also seen this in a whitish colour compact but as I said I have the traditional green one's. On the bottom my colour is stated, I'm told that it is indeed High Impact Eyeshadow, contact details for Clinique are on there as well and finally there is a recycle symbol displayed on there too.

I don't know about you but when I read the above statement by Clinique and it say's it's an 'extra-creamy texture' I expected something a bit damp. Well I didn't know that before I purchased it and didn't know that till I just read it! So I don't agree for starters its a creamy eyeshadow in that respect.

I would however agree with them this is a fine powder. It glides and spreads evenly over your chosen make up base with no flaking onto my cheeks or anywhere I don't want it to go and I am very much in control using this product. I use the applicators given in my compacts or a brush of my own and each of them ways of application is fine. The powder even though it's fine clings to the brush and makes the application a breeze and I simply sweep away.

It goes on smooth and when it's on it does feel very soft and feel as smooth as it looks. The colour as I previously said looks very even though not all that rich in it's tone and it takes minimal effort to achieve a nice look.

These are easy to blend either together (using these or other Clinique eye shadows from the range) and easy to blend with other powder formulations and once on they stay on with no creasing or cracking due to you not needing loads on the the eyelids to cover them evenly. There is no fade over time and the colour stays put all day till you remove it with your usual methods of make up removal as this has no special requirements at all. Great for office gals!

However I say this stays put... well it does providing you don't touch it alot. The powder doesn't sink into the skin it lies on top of it so if you touch it with your fingertips you do get a bit of transfer. Not loads but enough to notice particularly if using dark colours so you have to remember DO NOT TOUCH! Now if you blend really, really well and use it really sparingly you can make this almost not happen and of course you could 'set' the look using a little pressed or loose powder over the eyes but for me I don't like this method one bit. This is because all of the 'High Impact' eye-shadows (the one's that I own anyway and I own a few of them), all contain shimmer. Not a 'blinging' out there one but a hint of shine and by pressing on some powder it gets rid of that shine which then makes me question why buy a shimmery eyeshadow in the first place?

Basically it's a nice everyday eyeshadow. It's good quality but would I go out to buy more deliberately? No I wouldn't. Yes it's classy and comfortable to use. It doesn't irritate my over sensitive eyes and there is no smell and it's fuss free to use but the range of these eye-shadows colour wise is just a bit... well.. bland and safe for me. The results are nice enough for daytime use and give a grown up, polished look but for evening they really miss something for me. Do be aware when buying colours to really test them out before purchase because as these are slightly shimmery they take away some colour intensity in my opinion.

These are a safe option and simple to use and as I said very fuss free. Mistakes using this, I haven't faced but if you did make one I'm sure due to the fine powder that it could be corrected very simply. I would recommend this to a lady alot older than in her 30's, as I am. I feel I'm too young for this unexciting make up personally. My Mum is 63 and loves these eyeshadows as she feels they are very simple to use, likes the little bit of shimmer and feels they hydrate her skin slightly and don't show up her creases on her eyes so bad as alot of other brands. Me, I want more bling even in the day....

Prices are so varied and I'd say look online for bargains. I can't remember what I paid but I bought them in Debenhams and think it was around £9.00 for a single and £14.00 a double and £16.00 a trio but that's not gospel so do a bit of research!